Counterspelling. How often do you use it in your campaign?

[Zaebos]

As a DM, I use counterspelling all the time on my players. They have yet to catch on that PC spell casters can do it, or they just forget to do it, but I don't.

 

[Victim]

The only time I've used counterspelling is in hypothetical fights. Four example, if I'm plotting out whether X level characters defeat an N type dragon, counterspelling helps because keeps a dragon's "I win" spells from going off, and simplies the battle by reducing the # of spells and character actions. Similarly, a higher level party might use counterspells to keep a foe from equalizing a magical advantage. A fully buffed party going against a flat footed one can afford to counterspell since it will keep them from throwing up their mass haste, or casting some dispels to remove the advantage.

I might have seen it used once in play, but I'm not certain.

 

[Don21584]

Perhaps if you were making a character that was specifically for arena-type fighting, counterspelling would be good, since spellcasters will just...cast spells. But on regular adventures I don't see it coming up much, if at all.

 

[Werewolf_26]

From memory; I think i've only seen it used once or twice.

Most of the time, the enemy spell casters that I have used thus far don't make much use of counterspelling as it is extremely necessary to use Buffing spells on henchies to keep them alive long enough to do damage to the Party. Or rather, using buffing spells on themselves so that they might live through the encounter.

I haven't made much use of it yet but lately I've been using quiet a bit of enemy spellcasters and I must remember to use it more often.

That, and dispel magic.

 

[BeauNiddle]

I can see it being quite useful at higher levels when wizards regularly have protection spells vs. all elements, globe of invulnerability, stoneskin, pro from missiles, etc. and a very high concentration skill.

At that point its almost impossible to get damage through to distrupt the spell but cancelling something cast turns the enemy caster into a statue (looks good, acheives nothing).

At low level where there are fewer slots spare for protection spells it is often easier to get damage through and so stop the spell that way.

That said just casting dispel, greater dispelling or mord's Disjunction on the enemy caster and watch all those protection spells disappear

 

[Crothian]

I've seen it used once. Most PCs I know consider that to be to reactionary for them. They perfer to be drive the action, not react to it.

 

[Allister]

I've found counterspelling to only be a decent option when both "improved Counterspelling and "reactive Counterspelling" have been taken as feats.

 

[Darkness]

Not yet, but the FR stuff makes it worth it, I believe...

 

[Cloudgatherer]

As a DM, I've found counterspelling to be an effective deterrent against the party's wizard (of course, the player didn't appreciate it much). Even with a primarily "fighter" oriented party, disrupting the support magic users is an effective tactic.

I'd say we've used counterspelling 3 or 4 times since 3e came out. I don't think it is supposed to be used heavily, but it's there. My party recently debated going up against a known enemy wizard, and the chief tactic discussed was counterspelling.

 

[CRGreathouse]

It's never been used IMC.